Who plays fullback for Queensland in 2023 State of Origin series?
One of Queensland’s greatest State of Origin champions has backed Brisbane Broncos whiz-kid Reece Walsh to wear the fullback jersey. Vote for your number one candidate.
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Queensland coach Billy Slater has revealed Reece Walsh is on his radar as Maroons selector Darren Lockyer declared the Broncos sensation would be ready for his State of Origin debut.
Slater is gearing up for Queensland’s title defence and says he will be watching Broncos whiz-kid Walsh closely in Brisbane’s showdown with the Raiders on Saturday night at Suncorp Stadium.
With Maroons fullback incumbent Kalyn Ponga having travelled to Canada for brain tests in relation to his concussion issues, Walsh and Dolphins rival Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow have rocketed into the frame for the Origin series opener on May 31.
Two years ago, Walsh was called up for his maiden Maroons camp and the then 18-year-old went within 24 hours of his Origin debut, only to suffer an agonising hamstring injury at Queensland’s captain’s run at Suncorp Stadium.
Now Walsh is the form player of the NRL, igniting Brisbane’s surge to the top of the league, and Slater confirmed the Broncos fullback is in his plans if Ponga fails to prove his fitness for Origin I at Adelaide Oval.
“Reece is doing a wonderful job and it’s nice to see we have several options in that (fullback) position,” said Slater, the legendary Queensland and Australia fullback.
“I am really liking what Reece is doing in defence more than anything.
“He is putting himself in positions to stop tries and the fullback position is more than just the sparkly stuff.
“A lot of the general public don’t notice some of the little things, but they are the things I look at.
“Fullback is a position I played for a long time and I’m probably a bit hard on guys like Reece and ‘Hammer’ (Tabuai-Fidow) because I understand the ins and outs of the position so much, so I see more than other people see.
“Reece is playing superb football in a great environment in Brisbane with Kevin Walters (coach) and even having a mentor at the club in Darius Boyd (former Test and Origin fullback), that will hold him in good stead.”
Still only 20, Walsh is torching NRL rivals this season.
From just four appearances for the Broncos, the flying fullback has amassed three tries, three line breaks, six try assists, 15 tackle busts and has run for an average of 169 metres per game to spearhead Brisbane’s 5-0 record.
Under former Maroons coach Paul Green in 2021, Slater was invited to Camp Maroon to help mentor Walsh and Lockyer says the Broncos ace would relish an Origin duel with NSW champion James Tedesco.
“I don’t think the occasion would worry him,” said former Queensland skipper Lockyer.
“It was only a couple of years ago that he was in the (Queensland) team and had to pull out because of injury.
“He got a taste for what that environment is like even though he didn’t take the field.
“There is still a long way to go between now and the first Origin but he is playing in a team that’s winning and he is doing well himself.
“He is going to attack with flair but I’d think that what he is doing defensively is the more important thing for a coach like Billy.
“Reece brings a bit of X-factor.”
Ponga was Queensland’s match-winning hero in last year’s Origin decider but Slater says he won’t take any risks with the Newcastle superstar.
“The priority is Kalyn’s health,” he said.
“The hardest thing with Kalyn is the unknown. He could be back sooner than we think and everything will be OK, or it could be more serious than that.
“Hopefully he gets some clarity and a few questions answered in his trip to Canada. At the end of the day, that’s something I can’t control so my only concern is Kalyn’s welfare and I hope things go well from there.”
KING INSPIRING MAROONS HOPEFUL
- Travis Meyn
Maligned Eels fullback Clint Gutherson is inspiring Broncos sensation Reece Walsh to make his Origin debut as doubt surrounds Kalyn Ponga’s grasp on Queensland’s No. 1 jersey.
Walsh continued his blistering return to Red Hill on Saturday night, blitzing the Tigers with a playmaking clinic in Brisbane’s 46-12 victory to bolt into contention for the Maroons’ fullback duties.
It was at Suncorp Stadium in 2021 that Walsh’s Maroons dream was snatched from him on the eve of Game Two by a captain’s run hamstring injury that stopped him becoming one of the youngest players in Origin’s 43-year history.
Now Suncorp has become his field of dreams, with Walsh producing another three try-assists to go with three line breaks, six tackle busts and 178m in a fullback masterclass against woeful Wests.
Ponga was man-of-the-match in Queensland’s dramatic decider victory last year, producing the finest performance of his career in the Suncorp thriller.
But the Newcastle superstar is facing an uncertain NRL future as he fights to overcome repeated concussions, opening the door for Walsh to press his claims for the Maroons custodian duties.
Maroons coach Billy Slater will give Ponga every chance to retain the No. 1 jersey for this year’s series-opener in Adelaide on May 31.
However Walsh has another seven rounds to make his mark before Slater sits down at the Maroons selection table on May 21.
Walsh, 20, said the pain of his eleventh-hour Maroons scratching was driving his Broncos form and Origin quest.
“Yeah mate, one hundred per cent,” he said.
“I’ve always looked up to Queensland, what they do and the way they carry themselves. If I got a chance to play for them it’d be massive.
“I just want to be the best fullback for the Broncos and if I’m around playing good footy when that time comes … whatever happens will happen.
“If I keep doing my job for the Broncos then Billy will put out the best team he can.
“I don’t want to look too far ahead. I want to be the best player I can each week for the Broncos and if that comes, it comes.
“I want to be the best fullback at the Broncos.”
Walsh is doing exactly that.
After four games for Brisbane, he has scored three tries and leads the Broncos in try-assists (seven) and line-break assists (11).
His speed has transformed Brisbane into one of the NRL’s most dangerous attacking outfits and helped the Broncos to top spot on the ladder in a 5-0 start to the season.
Walsh has thrived playing behind Origin forwards Pat Carrigan and Payne Haas along with crafty halves Adam Reynolds and Ezra Mam.
He has become the ultimate creator, regularly turning a half-chance into an overlap for Brisbane’s edges and said he wanted to be the Broncos’ provider.
“Yeah, obviously, that’s my job,” Walsh said.
“The middles are working their butts off and it’s my job to put the icing on the cake. I’ve just got to keep doing my job and if that’s setting the boys around me up then I’ll do it.
“There’s so much space and time on the edge. All you’ve got to do is do your job when you’re playing with a pack like that … and hopefully reap the rewards on the back of those boys.”
It’s not only with the ball that Walsh is thriving.
The pocket rocket has put an emphasis on his defence this year after being inspired by Parramatta’s reliable No. 1 Gutherson.
“King Gutho” has been criticised for lacking in attack but it’s his defensive steel that Walsh wants to replicate for the Broncos.
“I try to watch ‘Gutho’ as much as I can. He’s one of the best defensive fullbacks in the comp,” Walsh said.
“If you watch him, he’s always on his bike working his butt off for the team. He is saving more tries than some teams are scoring. He is someone I try to watch as much as I can.
“The way ‘Gutho’ moves out the back and talks to his middles, when he gets in the defensive line he is there every single time. He’s saved more tries than I’ve scored in my career.
“That’s something I’m trying to put into my game. I haven’t quite got that yet. I know it’s a weakness of my game but I’m trying to strengthen that side and do everything I can to be an all-round player.”
The calm and composed Reynolds at halfback has been the perfect foil for the electric Walsh, who can help the Broncos go 6-0 against Canberra at Suncorp on Saturday night.
“He is still learning, which is the scary thing,” Reynolds said.
“He’s not getting them all 100 per cent right at the moment. We want to minimise his errors, but any time he’s out the back of shape he is lightning quick and handy with the skills he’s got.
“He definitely puts defence on alert. He’s only going to get better.
“You don’t want to put a blanket over him. It’s my job to pull him in if things are going sideways too much or he’s trying to overplay his hand at times.
“He’s a good kid. He listens and learns. He’s always trying to improve on his game. He’s always looking at ways to develop our combination.
“It’s a good sign for a young kid.”
BRONCOS PRIMED FOR PREMIERSHIP GLORY AFTER HISTORIC 25-YEAR FIRST
The Broncos have made their best start to a season in 25 years, blitzing the terrible Tigers 46-12 to continue their perfect opening to 2023.
The 34-point trouncing of the Tigers before 27,553 at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night extended Brisbane’s unbeaten streak to five, the Broncos’ best start to a year since the 1998 premiership season.
Woeful Wests were never in the contest, conceding eight tries to remain winless after five rounds as the blowtorch intensified on coach Tim Sheens.
On the other hand, the Broncos are flying under Kevin Walters and remain the NRL’s only unbeaten team this season in their quest to snap Brisbane’s 17-year premiership drought.
“I’m really pleased for everyone involved in the club, the players are the ones working the hardest,” Walters said.
“But they’re just stats. We need to keep going.
“I can feel it among them, they’re a really good group of players that want to keep getting better.
“We are a dangerous footy team when we get things right.
“We looked like we could possibly go on with it but the Tigers hung in there.”
BRONCOS BOLTING
The Broncos finally got the Tiger off their back, snapping a 2143-day hoodoo against Wests in emphatic fashion.
While Wests have been NRL plodders in recent years, the joint venture had won its last four matches against the Broncos, including a shock 32-18 upset last year which kickstarted Brisbane’s crash out of the finals.
Walters said he didn’t believe in hoodoos and this was an emphatic way to prove it.
Backrower Jordan Riki celebrated his 50th NRL game with a first half double and middle forwards Pat Carrigan and Payne Haas were in devastating touch again.
Fullback Reece Walsh was electric with three try assists while Herbie Farnworth and Kotoni Staggs have become the most dangerous centre-pairing in the game, both scoring.
PARTY LIKE IT’S 1998
The late 1990s were the golden years of the Broncos.
Think Allan Langer, Kevin Walters, Darren Lockyer, Steve Renouf, Gorden Tallis, Shane Webcke and Andrew Gee – just to name a few.
Now it’s Adam Reynolds, Ezra Mam, Walsh, Farnworth, Riki, Haas and Carrigan leading the Broncos’ generation next.
While the new Broncos still have plenty to prove, having not played in the finals since 2019, Brisbane fans have reason to be excited.
The Broncos’ form over the past fortnight had been sketchy but this was a complete domination, albeit against a shocking Tigers team.
They could go 6-0 against the Raiders at Suncorp next Saturday.
“We breaking it up month by month,” Walters said.
“We’re not looking at the bigger picture, it’s just what’s in front.”
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